RESTON, Va. — Unimpressed with the public outcry against same-sex marriage, the National Preaching Initiative, an organization spear-headed by Chuck Colson and organized by the Wilberforce Forum, is calling on ministers to preach in support of traditional marriage during September and October.

The National Preaching Initiative - Redefining Marriage: A Crisis for Children, has been organized to provide sample sermons and background material for preachers.

In an e-mail to church leaders last week Colson defined what he termed "the threat," saying, "It's clear that the impact of same-sex 'marriage' won't be limited to same-sex couples.

"After studying trends in Europe, Stanley Kurtz of the Hoover Institution has written that widespread acceptance of same-sex 'marriage' will widen the already existing gap between parenthood and marriage and will continue to break down the family. Countries like Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, which adopted same-sex 'marriage,' saw their rates of cohabitation and out-of-wedlock births shoot up. There is every reason to expect that the same thing will happen in the United States."

Sample sermons available on the Wilberforce Forum Web site are messages from Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. The site also offers Catholic resources.

"Your preaching is vital in order to re-invigorate marriage in the Church and in the culture. Not only can you educate your congregations about the importance of preserving Biblical marriage and protecting children, you can also call them to repentance and faith," a message on the site reads.

The goal of this project, according to the Web site, is to encourage pastors, priests and clergy all across America to address their congregations on the spiritual foundations of marriage Sept. 12 through Oct. 31, leading up to the November elections. Although the Federal Marriage Amendment was defeated in the Senate in July, conservatives are hoping it could become a congressional election issue.

According to Baptist Press, Republican candidate John Thune hopes so. An amendment supporter, Thune is running in South Dakota to unseat Democratic Minority Leader Tom Daschle, who opposes the marriage amendment and voted to block it from receiving a vote July 14.